"I remember visiting my maternal grangmother in Fort Worth and sitting around a large table where she serve us this recipe for Chicken and Dumplings."

Ingredients

Chicken:

1(3 to 4-pound) chicken

2stalks celery, unchopped

1medium onion, quartered

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dumplings:

3cups all-purpose flour

1teaspoon salt

1teaspoon baking powder

3tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

3/4cup milk

Reserved chicken broth

Instructions

In a large pot, simmer the chicken with the celery, onion, salt, and pepper in water deep enough to cover the chicken until tender enough to be gently pulled off the bone (about 2 hours). Remove the chicken from the broth, debone it, tear into pieces, and set aside. Reserve the broth.

To prepare the dumplings, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium-size mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening, combining with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk, and roll into a large ball. On a well- floured surface, roll the dough into paper-thin pastry. Slice into 1 1/2-inch squares. Heat the chicken broth in a large saucepan. Drop the dough slices into the broth, and cook on low for about 15 minutes, until done. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the chicken pieces to broth, and heat through. Season to taste. Serve in soup bowls.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen:
If you prefer a thicker gravy, stir 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour into 1/2 cup of milk until smooth. After the dumplings are done, add the flour mixture to the hot broth and stir. For a more intense chicken flavor, add two chicken bouillon cubes to the broth. Serve with finely chopped fresh parsley on top.